Hi. I’m glad you stopped by. I would like to have some conversations with y’all, but I’m not sure if it can happen anymore – at least, not without someone getting all butt-hurt because someone disagrees with their viewpoint.
I’m pretty sure you know where I’m headed with this. So, I’ll ask.
Can YOU have a conversation about a topic that is known to have differing points of view?
Can YOU show the required maturity and civility to talk about things versus just getting angry and spouting out childish crap?
Can YOU respect that there are people in this world that don’t see things the same way as you?
Is it possible to agree to disagree rather than starting the equivalent of a monkey shit fight at the zoo?
This rambles a bit, but I hope it helps… something? Comments welcome…
I’ve never watched the show this clip came from. I don’t profess to be well informed about a lot of this – partially my fault and a lot the fault of the corporate-driven, biased, bullshit media that is more interested in ratings and money than facts. But something about what Jeff Daniels’ character says just strikes a deep resonating chord with me. I don’t know how accurate the information he spouts is, or when/if it was accurate, but I have a suspicion that there is considerable truth in the information.
This country was not without its issues “back in the day”. Look at some of the shit that’s surfacing these days. But what the hell happened? I guess I’m just tired of all the bitching. It’s nearly all I see in the news. Sexual harassment, racism, bullshit politics… I hear and see a lot of complaining, but I don’t see people getting past it and starting to make things better.
We’re all racist, biased and closed-minded on some levels. That’s because we are, at the least, partially a product of our environment. We buy into the bullshit around us without even realizing it. We tend to overlook and even downright ignore other perspectives, viewpoints and situations. It doesn’t make us bad folks, but it sure doesn’t help things, either. We need to pause a few seconds before we speak. Hell, we need to pause a bit before we think, too. We have to move away from snap judgments and jumping to conclusions without making sure we have opened ourselves, at least a little, to the possibility that other viewpoints might just have some validity.
Then there’s the silent majority issue. The mouthy folks aren’t always the best people to listen to. They tend to carry a shit-ton of bias. They work to get people on their side by inciting some level of extremism. When did moderation become wrong? When did the majority become silent and ineffective? It’s when we became afraid to speak and tell the mouthy ones to pipe down a little. There is a difference between inspiring folks to listen and understand you versus brow-beating them into silence and/or inciting anger.
It’s time to check the egos, cut a major portion of bullshit and start having conversations that are civil and open-minded. I’m willing to try and acknowledge your issue/plight if you’re willing to stop trying to shove it down my throat and up my ass at the same time. Quit acting like whatever respect/acknowledgement I give you isn’t enough. You need to remember that I was either doing okay, or had my own set of issues before you came along and started throwing shit-fits about your issues. You might even find that I am willing to help a little if genuine appreciation is shown versus making me feel like my help is expected or necessary to clear my conscience. You shouldn’t expect shit out of me if you aren’t willing to work with me and my views and issues, too. We might each actually learn something, too.
What I Think 